


Multifunctional

by eccentric_kittens



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Canon Trans Character, Dolls, Dubious Consent, Dysphoria, F/M, Gender Dysphoria, Gender Issues, Grell is canonically trans and you can pry it from my cold dead trans hands, Shrinking, Size Difference, Tiny!Grell, Trans Character, dub con cause she's in a doll so she can't consent but obvs grell loves bassy so....complex ya know, lazy writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-24 01:51:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eccentric_kittens/pseuds/eccentric_kittens
Summary: Part One (complete) - Grell somehow ends up trapped in a sex doll. Guess which crime solving duo are her only chance of escaping her plastic prison?





	Multifunctional

**Author's Note:**

> this was written half-heartedly at best, so enjoy what you can of it lmao

When Grell opened her eyes, she was expecting the comfortable crimson of her bedroom. Not cold, white leather and irritatingly bright UV lights. She also expected, well...her own body. But when she looked down, she saw breasts, albeit small ones, no bigger than a B cup, but still, there they were, standing to attention. They gave way to...curves? Her hips had never been this wide, and her thighs never so full, toned. She had to do a double-take when she realised what she’d skipped over. What used to be her greatest source of irritation had been replaced. Before she could really explore any further, the door opened. 

 

“Really, Sir, there is no need for -”

 

Bassy?

 

“Oh no, gents, I insist. I’ll be back with the manager in an hour or so, yeah? He says he wants you’s to sample the goods, so to speak. Have fun, yeah?”

 

She wanted to run to Bassy, try to sneak a hug in before he inevitably slipped away again, the tease. But she found that her limbs were slow to respond, and her mouth wouldn’t even open. She started to panic, realising the full gravity of waking in a body that didn’t belong to her, in an unfamiliar place, with no memory of how she’d gotten here. No idea why Bassy and the brat were being ushered and locked in the same room. She could feel the disconnect between herself and the body; its face wasn’t showing the fear and confusion she felt, it stood near-perfectly still, it could only turn its head slowly to look at dear Bassy with a blank, glassy expression. 

 

“Disgusting,” Ciel spat at her, leaning his cane against the wall and choosing a seat to sulk in. “I hate visiting places like this. When Lau said he wanted to meet at a friend’s place...I had no idea it would be something this contemptible.”

 

Grell watched Sebastian look her up and down disinterestedly. “Come now, My Lord, it isn’t so bad. They’ve attempted, and quite nearly succeeded, in creating a living doll. Of course, it’s quite typical that humans would immediately give it carnal purpose rather than anything useful, but it’s a remarkable human advancement all the same. It even blinks,” Sebastian noted, getting closer. “I suppose they’re designed to mimic humans in order to create a mirage of realism.”

 

A living doll?! Grell wondered if he could sense her soul rattling around in the porcelain prison, wondered if any of his demonic abilities would reveal her to him. Wondered if he’d even help her if he knew the dire situation she was in. 

 

“It’s a toy,” Ciel said, rolling his eyes. “Nothing more. They’re a fad that will die out after a couple of years.”

 

Sebastian smiled slightly. “Oh, I do doubt that. Humans struggle to let go of things that feel good, particularly carnal pleasures.”

 

Grell concentrated on her mouth, trying to open it. 

 

Ciel cocked his head. “Ugh, is it going to speak now?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“It’s mouth is moving.”

 

Sebastian leaned closer to inspect her, and Grell felt an internal shiver. He was only a couple of feet away, but his eyes were so bright, with that gleam of humour he carried so charmingly. 

 

“I see. I wonder if interaction triggers a response.” He stepped closer. “Hello.”

 

To her surprise, Grell felt her mouth smile, and a voice that wasn’t her own spoke. “Hello, honoured guest. I’ve been assigned to this room as entertainment while you wait for your meeting. Would you like to be entertained?”

 

“No,” Ciel snapped, and Grell felt her mouth close. 

 

Horrifying. Not only was she not in control of her own body, but this wasn’t her own body, and she saw no way out. Only her dear Bassy could do anything about it, and he was indifferent toward her at best. 

 

“Are you alive?” Sebastian asked, and Grell knew he was just curious, but she felt hope all the same. 

 

“I am an automated pleasure centre,” her mouth said, Grell internally yelling about just how alive she really was. “I do not possess a human soul, therefore I do not meet the definition of ‘alive’.”

 

“Do you want for things?” 

 

“Why are you speaking to it?” Ciel asked tiredly, occasionally glancing at his pocket watch.

 

Sebastian shrugged. “Curiosity. I want to know how far they’ve gone. May I touch you?”

 

“Yes,” the doll said simply, but for once, Grell didn’t want to be touched by him. 

 

Sebastian took her hand, feeling and observing it. “Do you have thoughts?”

 

_ “Yes! I  _ **_am t_ ** _ he thoughts!” Grell yelled, enraged. “Don’t hold it’s hand, Bassy, help me!” _

 

Sebastian tipped her chin to caress her cheek. His eyes roamed her features, until he looked her right in the eye. He frowned slightly, pulling her face a little closer to his to get a better look.

 

“How strange…”

 

“Good sirs!”

 

Ciel stood. “About time. Can we see your Master now?”

 

The man grinned apologetically. “Sorry, Sirs, I bear bad news. He wanted me to let you know it’s actually going to be a bit longer than an hour after all. He also deigned me express his great wish for you to try out his latest model. He wants to know what you think of it.”

 

“I’m fifteen,” Ciel huffed. “Not only do I have no interest in having relations with an inanimate object, but I’m not old enough.”

 

The man nodded. “O’course, o’course, he did predict you’d say that. That’s why he expects your Butler to take care of it. He wants a full review, to ensure maximum satisfaction from customers, an’ all that.”

 

Ciel began to protest, but the man took on a more serious face. “I don’t think he’d take too kindly to you insulting his work by refusing to even try it.” He brightened. “Anyway! I’ve got more guests to look after, so you’s be enjoying yourselves, yeah?”

 

He left, and Ciel sighed. “Fine. If this is what it takes to get a meeting with this creep. Do you have any objections?”

 

Sebastian’s lips parted. “You know I cannot object to your orders, My Lord.”

 

Ciel looked at the doll distastefully. “All the same, I’d rather you be willing. I’m not that kind of Master, Sebastian. Do it. But only if you want to. That’s an order.”

 

Grell wanted to protest. No one was asking if she was willing. Of course, Bassy was irresistible, and she’d be happy to bed him. But in her own body. This was...this was a monstrosity. She wanted nothing to do with him while she didn’t have her autonomy. 

 

Sebastian removed his gloves. “Yes, My Lord.”

 

“And put across that privacy curtain. I have no desire to watch this.”

 

And just like that they were alone. Sebastian started taking off his clothes. 

 

“I would have preferred if they’d clothed you. I would have taken great pleasure in ripping them off,” he commented, quiet so that Ciel wouldn’t hear.

 

Grell wanted to roll her eyes, but instead her mouth opened. “There are a wide variety of garments available if you so wish, Sir. Lingerie, costumes, uniforms -”

 

“No. Thank you. This will do just fine.”

 

He stood over her, and Grell realised how short this body was; she and Bassy were no longer eye to eye. She’d always wondered if a smaller body would be better, as women did tend to be smaller, but she was quickly realising she much preferred to be tall. She felt powerless this small; longed for her death scythe to keep her company.

 

“Would you like to do the rest?” he asked, only his shirt and trousers remaining.

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

“Call me Sebastian.”

 

“Yes, Sebastian.”

 

_ “Ugh. How dull.” _

 

Grell prided herself on how enjoyable sex with her was. This doll was about as sensual as a blank piece of paper. It made no attempt to be flirtatious, or playful - sex wasn’t nearly this serious. Sebastian seemed to think the same, watching her with a bored expression. 

 

“Rip it off. Can you do that?”

 

_ “Now we’re talking.” _

 

The doll nodded, and tore his shirt open and off his back in one swift movement. “I have multiple adjustable settings for dominance, submission, and general disposition. I am currently set to: Submissive. Medium. Vanilla. Would you like to alter them to your preference?”

 

Grell let herself be briefly distracted from the horror of the situation.  _ “Yes, dear Bassy, what exactly do you like?” _

 

Smiling, Sebastian tapped his chin. “Switch. Hard. Masochist.”

 

The doll’s face immediately became suggestive and forward. “Yes, Sebastian.”

 

Grell couldn’t help but glow a little.  _ “Oh my, we’d be perfect together. How cruel fate is to place me in a situation I can take no real pleasure from…” _

 

Sebastian lifted her chin. “Take off the rest. Don’t rip them though; I need something to walk out of here in after all.”

 

Grell came back to herself, remembering that this was really happening, it wasn’t just a conversation. She did want Bassy, of course she did, but she didn’t want to trick him. She thought through her options while the doll got him down to his undergarments. She’d already tried everything she could to make the doll respond to her, but it was still incredibly sluggish - there was no way she could do anything Sebastian would figure it out from. It seemed her only option was to deal with it, but she couldn’t; if he left without knowing it was her she could be trapped in this thing forever. 

 

She tried not to look, but the doll’s eyes stayed open, and she was presented with Sebastian’s cock. As a demon, seduction was one of his main talents, so it was of course, quite big. Grell knew if she was herself, she’d be thrilled to be in this position; on her knees, glancing between Bassy’s soft smiling face and his hard, flushed cock. As it was, the doll’s face remained stuck in this silly, “sexy” pout and she remained trapped inside. It was frustrating, and not in the good way. Sebastian gently opened its jaw with his thumb, and eased himself inside.

 

“Curiouser and curiouser...there appears to be some form of lubricant acting as saliva...it’s really quite realistic,” he commented. “I wonder; how deep is your throat? Are you...equipped...to deal with all sizes or is there a limit?”

 

He pulled away so the doll could answer. “There is no limit to my throat’s capacity. It continues all the way down.”

 

Sebastian’s smile widened in approval. “I did see a rather long toy on our way in and wonder what it could possibly be for. That’s interesting. I’d like to try it out, but not just yet. Oh, and I won’t be needing the toy for it.”

 

If she had control of the throat, she would have whimpered. Grell wondered if she would feel what he was about to do; certainly his cock in her mouth had been a strange yet strong sensation. This mouth was smaller than hers, and because it was a doll’s, it had no need of the muscles Grell had carefully trained to be able to deepthroat. Lucky bitch.

 

“I set you to masochist, but are you even capable of feeling pain?”

 

“I can feel pain, but it is muted. I am what the Master calls “a pretty little work in progress”. However, there are other models -”

 

“No. I don’t want anyone else,” he said, cupping her face in his hand, the other hand gliding down her waist. “Please, do stop offering me other dolls. If you do it again, I’m going to punish you.”

 

Grell felt a thrill at that, but pushed it away knowing it wasn’t  _ her _ he was speaking to; just the doll. But the way his eyes lingered on her lips made her want to scream. 

 

“Yes, Sebastian,” the doll said, but she could say nothing else as Sebastian’s lips covered hers. Grell fumed; here Bassy was with his surprisingly soft lips covering hers and she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t flick her tongue playfully, or bite his lip, do whatever she could to make him lose his temper and give her what she wanted. As it was all she could do was watch Sebastian be disappointed by this doll’s paltry attempts at seduction. Pathetic, really. 

 

Bassy seemed to agree, as he pulled back with an unimpressed expression. “Just as I thought. No passion, no spark. None of the great need living beings are filled with, the need to be taken, consumed, broken down. Shame, really.”

 

_ “We do think alike, dear Bassy, how interesting…” _

 

“Now, my dear, get on the bed.”

 

Grell was disappointed. _ “How boring, Bassy, won’t you just throw me on? Ravish me and not let me up until I beg for it, ooh, what a torture this is.” _

 

In position, the doll smiled at him. “What now?”

 

Sebastian smiled back, anything but coy. “Spread your legs.”

 

She did, and Grell found herself curious. She had always wondered if having one of these would be better, certainly it would help her feel even more like a woman, but it was also….so ugly. Where the male form was so beautiful. She’d never been sure exactly what she wanted for her body, discarding the thought before it could get to her, because after all, it wasn’t like she could very well do anything about it. But now she let herself consider it, now that she actually had one. It did alleviate that heavy feeling, that knowledge that no matter how many times she referred to herself as a lady, no matter how much confidence she had, men would always look down their noses at her. Her body would never feel quite right. No, that wasn’t right. Her body was fine, beautiful in fact, it was  _ perceptions _ of her body that would never feel quite right.

 

“My, my, how realistic. I wonder if your body is cast from a real one, to capture such realistic detail. I want to explore every inch of it.”

 

The doll let out what was probably intended to be a breathy moan, but Grell snorted derisively internally. She felt a slick, smugness knowing that this machine, flawless though it was in appearance, would never be able to fully capture the essence of passion. 

 

_ “That’s...heavenly,” _ she thought, distracted from her snide by Sebastian’s tongue playing at part of the doll’s crotch. Likely what people referred to as the ‘spot’ that most men failed to hit.

 

“Are you able to orgasm?” Sebastian asked, nibbling and caressing her inner thigh.

 

The doll shook her head. “No. I am not. I have, however, hundreds of examples of human bodies experiencing one downloaded. From these I create an accurate depiction of the sounds, expressions and movements humans make during orgasm.”

 

Sebastian sighed. “How thrilling. Need I even continue the foreplay? I was curious as to how you’d react to my....routine.”

 

Grell involuntarily shivered, enjoying the images that word brought to mind. 

 

“Sadly, I think the time I would usually put into that would be wasted with one such as you. Although, given the quality of clientele I’ve seen frequent this establishment, I should think it’s hardly different from your usual treatment, my dear.”

 

_ Brilliant _ , Grell rolled her eyes inwardly. This doll was ruining her life in a lot of ways. She was startled when she started paying attention again and found Sebastian staring at her. 

 

“Something wrong?” the doll asked, and ran a hand up her leg.

 

Sebastian tilted his head slightly. “I thought I saw - perhaps just a flicker…”

 

Grell found new hope. _ “That’s right, Bassy, please, please notice me!” _

 

To her delight, Sebastian crawled closer over the bed, pushing the doll down until he was on top of her, examining her facial features. As usual, the doll lacked finesse. She just laid there. Grell seethed, again thinking about all the teasing and baiting she would be doing right now. After all, he’d asked for Switch not Sub. He caught her gaze. Grell wanting to reach right out of the doll’s eyes and pull his hair. He leaned forward. He frowned, cupping the doll’s face to look closer at her eyes. 

 

“I -” he began, before his eyes turned that beautiful reddish-pink Grell loved so dearly. He hissed, and Grell saw him struggling internally before looking back into her eyes, a new, dark rage there. She knew if she’d been there in person she would have backed away from him. In this case, the doll knew no fear, and readily accepted his new approach. 

 

“Let’s speed this along, shall we?” he purred, and Grell got excited briefly as he leant in, presumably for a kiss. Instead, his teeth latched onto her jaw. The doll let out a whimper, but Grell knew if it were her under those teeth, she’d be yowling her head off. She barely had time to recover before she felt the Doll being flipped and pressed into the soft sheets. 

 

“Keep your hands here,” he snapped, holding her hands above her head. 

 

“There are various restraints in the -”

 

“No,” he growled. “I don’t want restraints. I want you. To keep. Your hands. Here. Understand?”

 

Grell felt herself slipping into a more submissive headspace.  _ “...Oh, my. That’s nasty, Bassy. If this was my body, I wouldn’t be able to resist moving. I wonder what you’d do to me…” _

 

“I want you to know,” he whispered, pulling her into position. “I can go for hours. Days, even.”

 

_ “Don’t think I wouldn’t give you a run for your money,” _ Grell thought, irritated that all she could see was the bedsheets beneath her. She preferred eye contact. However, the lack of control was intoxicating, Sebastian’s hands trailing down her thighs. 

 

“However,” he murmured, pulling her up onto her hands and knees by her hair. “I must complete my Master’s orders with haste. So this is going to be rather fast, just a taste of my true abilities.”

 

_ “Stop talking and just -” _ Grell was complaining, until he thrusted into her. 

 

He chuckled, as the doll whined under him. “I assume you’re used to rough treatment. Like I said, I don’t have time to prepare you, nor do you require it, let’s be honest.”

 

Grell knew her body would have suffered under such treatment. She would have bled. Cried. She needed that; a rough hand to put her in her place when she got up to her antics. But she also needed the velvet glove, that soft touch her Bassy reserved for the whining brat. She wanted him to touch her hair, kiss her gently, and tell her she was a good girl. Because she would be, if he treated her right. If he could just  _ see  _ what they could be together. 

 

“The feel is realistic enough, but you’re not a very good actress when it comes to pleasure. Pain,” he growled, a hand snaking around her neck. “That, you show well enough. But once again; there’s no passion in you. You ‘seem’ empty.”

 

Grell was confused, but she didn’t have long to think about it, before Sebastian finished. She avoided focusing on that familiar wet feeling inside her and watched as the doll picked herself up off the bed. Sebastian was already getting dressed. She knew Sebastian was rushing but she didn’t think he’d finish that fast. It was...underwhelming? Like he’d said just a taste. What a terrible tease.

 

He looked her up and down. “And I suppose with your mission complete, your Master is expecting a sort of review?”

 

The doll stood, and Sebastian cocked his head again. Grell watched his gaze until it found her eyes. She felt uncomfortable, under scrutiny. 

 

“Yes, Sebastian. There is a ten-part -”

 

“Have it sent to my Master’s residence. Although do remember to send it to the servants’ entrance, not my Master’s post box.”

 

He didn’t look at her again as he walked away, and Grell found herself panicking. 

 

_ “Save me, Bassy, don’t leave me trapped in this horrible, unfeeling wench!” _

 

Nevertheless he opened the curtains and rejoined the young brat in the main room. Grell felt the doll start moving towards a tall glass tube on the far wall and grew angrier and angrier. There was no way in hell she, a glorious reaper, would be imprisoned much longer in this feeble, pathetic form. She tried to stop walking, to take control of the legs, but they ignored her urgings. The doll was getting further and further from the only two people who could help her. She thought smaller, putting all her effort into just one of the hands. 

 

“Sebastian...what’s wrong with it?”

 

“...It appears to be malfunctioning, Sir.”

 

Grell delighted. She was controlling a finger. Not much, but enough to make the doll stop, and stare at the mutinous hand, confused. 

 

“I’m - sorry, Sir. Something must have corrupted. This has never happened before. For your own safety, do not try to touch me while my form is unstable.”

 

Sebastian walked forward anyway. “There’s something wrong, my dear, isn’t there?”

 

The doll, still set to switch, let him pick up her hand, examining the middle finger wiggling wildly. 

 

_ “It’s me, Bassy! I’m doing it! Hear me, save me, god, please, save me!”  _ Grell screamed, all but shaking the very bars of her prison.

 

Sebastian’s eyes flickered up to hers, and he smiled slightly. “Perhaps you should come with us when we meet your Master. Surely he will know what is wrong.”

 

The doll was hesitant. “That is not procedure.”

 

“We’re going there anyway, and you really ought to get that sorted out, lickety split, yes?”

 

Ciel stood. “He’s here. Let’s go. Bring...that.”

 

Sebastian smiled, eyes shut. “Yes, Sir.”

 

\---

 

“P’raps she ought to go to engineerin’. I ain’t sure if takin’ her directly to the boss is such a good idea,” their guide said, concerned. “He prefers to fix ‘em up in his own time, you see? Not really an ‘in the office’ type to be honest. Bloody brilliant though, eh? You know what I’m talkin’ about now you’ve had a go on one of ‘em,” he cackled, Sebastian merely nodding slightly in reply. 

 

Ciel sighed. “Ah, yes a mechanical marvel. Sex. Really, how far back have we set humanity by diverting all our attention to technology pertaining to such immature, pointless things?”

 

“Maybe you’ll disagree with that frame of mind in a few years, eh, lad?” the man prodded, leaning against the elevator lever. They’d been ascending for some time now. 

 

“I highly doubt that,” Ciel replied coldly, and shared a short glance with Sebastian. His soul wouldn’t last a few more years if he was as close to his answers as he thought he was. 

 

Grell continued flailing the finger in all this time, feeling the doll fight against her but slowly gaining ground. She’d already conquered a second finger. 

 

_ “I’ll get control of this body before long, you plastic little bitch, _ ” Grell hissed, not letting up. 

 

“Now do be polite, gents, he’s not in the best of moods,” the man warned, as the doors slid open. 

 

They stepped into a room vastly contrasting with the previous rooms and halls they’d seen. While they were dated, peeling and mildly decrepit, this parlour was...modern. Sleek. A man in an equally sleek suit was seated in an equally sleek armchair. 

 

“My warmest welcome, Young Master Phantomhive. How very like your Father you look. Not quite ‘all grown up’ yet, though, are you? Although I see my pretty little work in progress has been...tested. How did you find her?”

 

Ciel sniffed, prickling at the comments about his father and his maturity. “I didn’t touch it.”

 

“I did,” Sebastian said, bowing. “Sebastian Michaelis. She really is quite a marvel. Nothing like anything similarly attempted, years ahead of its time. I wonder quite how you managed it. I’d like to discuss my thoughts on it with you.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you. Everybody calls me Jackson. I’d love to hear your thoughts, and of course, discuss business with you, Master Phantomhive. First I should probably send her for a diagnostic. We usually wipe them clean after -”

 

He was cut off, and all eyes turned to the source of the interruption. The doll. 

 

Grell was working hard, straining with every fibre of what was definitely not her being, to take control of the doll. It...wasn’t working. She was succeeding in moving the hand but not much else. And then as soon as they mentioned ‘diagnostics’ whatever that meant, and ‘sending’ her anywhere other than Bassy’s side, she felt fresh determination. She switched focus from the hand, which was getting her no more than confused glances, to the mouth. It started to twitch at first, but slowly, slowly, a noise built. From right at the back of her throat, moving up and getting louder. Sebastian heard it first, turning and cocking his head. 

 

Mid-conversation, to the shock of everyone involved, she finally made a sound. Not words, or anything close, but to Grell’s delight, it was enough to indicate emotion. It was pained, screeching agony. Anger. Fear. Despair. Even the brat looked concerned. Her apparent master looked irritated. Sebastian was...smiling?

 

“What the devil was that?” Ciel asked, too tired to bother. He sat himself in a fancy chair, waiting for Sebastian to resolve the situation. 

 

“Just as I suspected,” he murmured, and put a hand either side of her head. He looked into her eyes. “Mr Jackson. I suggest you not resist arrest. The police will be here soon.”

 

Jackson stood. “Excuse me? The police? Why? You have no -”

 

Sebastian held up a hand. “Spare me the lies. My Master is exhausted and, clearly, I must wrap this up quickly. What kind of butler would I be, if I hadn’t mastered expediency?”

 

Grell managed to get the doll to make the sound again. Sebastian smiled at her again, and she felt disarmed by its familiarity. 

 

_ “Excellent, Bassy, really quite wonderful that you seem to be on my side, but can we hurry this along so I can get out of this disgusting creature and back into my own beautiful body?” _

 

Sebastian let go of her hand. “Do try not to move. Understand?”

 

The doll twitched, but nodded. Grell huffed and let go of her mouth. “Yes, Sebastian.”

 

She decided to build and save energy for when she would really need it, now that Sebastian was on her side. 

 

Jackson pulled out a gun. “Do you know how many years I’ve put into this project? How much I’ve sacrificed? I’m not letting all that go to waste. Terrible business, having to dispose of your bodies, but a small price to pay for the success of my venture.”

 

Sebastian only smirked in reply, and Grell realised he was rushing as he quickly disarmed both Jackson, his assistant and all 8 of the guards that crowded the hallway to subdue them. He dragged Jackson over to the doll on his knees. 

 

“Undo it. Whatever you’ve done, undo it. Now,” he ordered.

 

Jackson snarled. “I’d die out of spite before giving you the answers to my brilliance.”

 

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Very well.”

 

Jackson lasted about three seconds dangled over his own fireplace before begging to be put down. 

 

“Alright, alright. Spare me, and I’ll fix her.”

 

Ciel watched with only mild interest. “Wrap it up, Sebastian, I’m getting rather hungry.”

 

“Yes, Master. This shan’t take long.”

 

Jackson fiddled for a moment with the back of the doll’s neck. A bright light forced all but Sebastian to cove their eyes in pain. Grell felt the strangest sensation, like crawling through a very tight tunnel, and then felt herself pop out into open air. She worried she may fall forever, but landed on something soft and pink. 

 

“Grell.”

 

She looked up, startled to see Sebastian looming over her, a giant to her eyes. 

 

“Bassy?” she called, before collapsing into the palm of his hand.

 

Jackson sneered. “I made a device that -”

 

Sebastian silenced him with a quick jab to the throat. “That’s quite enough. You don’t get the joy of explaining your invention. Not least to us, I’m sure your prison-mates will be more than happy to hear the tale.”

 

Grell found herself cowering, feeling rather too faint to stand. Sebastian’s fingers curled around her slightly to protect her as he walked and talked. 

 

She must have passed out completely at some point, because the next time she opened her eyes, she was treated to the sight of Sebastian sitting up in bed, reading. It was strange to see him in informal attire - he was dressed for bed. She looked down at herself. She was no taller than a pair mid-shin boots. Although she could have sworn that before she could fit entirely in Sebastian’s palm.

 

“You’re growing,” he murmured and Grell was startled, looking up to see him watching her. “It may take about a day for you to reach your regular height, but once the serum wears off you’ll be perfectly fine. Memories recovered, body restored, and you will be able to return to work.”

 

Grell thought back and was struck by brief flashes; walking along a dark alley, being strapped down...All rather murky and unreachable images. 

 

“Bassy,” she breathed, blinking away tiredness. “This isn’t a damsel in distress come-on, but I feel rather faint. Do tell me what happened, darling, I can’t remember a thing since we left the place.”

 

He looked back at his book. “Essentially, he was harvesting Grim Reapers every time they came to collect him. Our Mr Jackson had tortured one and discovered secrets regarding the essence of life that he then used to created - I believe my Master referred to them as homunculi? It means ‘living doll’. The souls of captured reapers such as yourself were ensconced in the dolls, the only thing keeping them going. Once he extracted you, the doll fell apart. Your form has been depleted, but now that you’re not being drained, you’ll reform and be back to your old self quite soon. Your superior, William, and I believe several of your colleagues are going through the same extraction process currently.”

 

Grell absorbed this, bringing her knees up to her chin. “I do remember some sort of scuffle in the street and then darkness and then…”

 

Sebastian cleared his throat. “If you are cold, I put a clean handkerchief beside you.”

 

“How did you know I was in there?” Grell asked, indeed cold and wrapping it around her shoulders. “I couldn’t speak. Why, I could only wiggle a finger through mustering all the rage I had. There’s no way you could have known it was me.”

 

“The eyes. They were dead. Until I looked directly, deeply. And I saw you. At least, in the beginning, I first noticed that there was something in there, unclear quite what. The next time I looked I thought the doll might have been lying about not having a soul, I could see someone. A struggle. And then the final time, I recognised you. Fury like the first time we met. Really met.”

 

Grell hopped from the bedside table to the bed, tripping over the folds of the sheets. She clambered onto Sebastian’s thigh and sat cross-legged. 

 

She sighed grumpily. “I wonder what that creep did with my death scythe - I’ve lost that darling thing far too many times.”

 

“It’s in the umbrella pot, do take it with you when you leave.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Grell saluted, and they both paused, thinking back to the last time someone addressed Sebastian as ‘sir’. “Wait a moment…”

 

Sebastian pushed her off his leg, standing to put the book back on the shelf. “I can get some refreshments, after all, we’re not sure quite how long you were -”

 

“Why did you keep going, when you knew it was me? Sebastian? Answer me.”

 

He sighed. “Clearly you aren’t going to let this go, I was hoping you wouldn’t remember.”

 

Sitting in the bed once again, he let her climb back onto his leg.

 

“Do you recall my Master saying ‘Do it. But only if you want to.’”

 

Grell nodded, not following. “Yes. So? And you did.”

 

“And then I noticed it was you,” Sebastian prodded, frustrated at how she was making him say it. 

 

She appeared to cotton on. “Oh. Oh...right. Your  eyes glowed, they do that when you’re being held to a command, do they not?”

 

Sebastian nodded. “I had to continue. Because I wanted to.”

 

He prepared himself for Grell’s inevitable shrieks and taunts. She patted his leg. 

 

“Oh, Bassy. You do wound me so.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

She stood. “It’s repulsive to you, the idea of being attracted to me. Or rather, someone like me. How disappointing. I would rather that you didn’t find me attractive at all, than be attracted to me and hate yourself for it. I won’t lie, it’s vilifying. But primarily, heartbreaking,” she added, as she climbed down the bedsheet to the floor. “It would have been nice to keep the game going. One day I would win you over and you’d see what a fantastic couple we’d make and you’d be kind and gentle, like you are with the kid and - and I might feel at home in this body, knowing love. But it’s becoming quite clear, the only one who can make me feel loved and at home in this body is myself. Goodbye, Sebastian.”

 

\---

**Author's Note:**

> also, I finally got cashapp, so if you feel supporting a poor, trans artist now's your chance <3 
> 
> ~ £bendyoubreakyou ~


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